


Ozone Layer

by SimplyEssa



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Accidental Plot, Allura (Voltron) Whump, Alternate Universe — Canon Divergence, Blood, Blood and Violence, Broken Bones, Concussions, Cuddling, Gen, Hurt Keith (Voltron), Hurt/Comfort, Keith (Voltron) Whump, Lizards, Platonic Cuddling, Protective Allura (Voltron), Protective Hunk (Voltron), Protective Keith (Voltron), Torture, Whump, alteans bleed the colour of their marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2020-01-06 08:32:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18384788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SimplyEssa/pseuds/SimplyEssa
Summary: “Move, and you will be spared.”“N—“Their tails move, and Hunk flinches. His words get cut off with a sharp scream and before she can process what’s happening, Keith is moving and her head is vaulting towards the floor, and—Stars engulf her vision before everything goes dark.***Or:Hunk, Allura and Keith get captured. Things don’t go their way.





	Ozone Layer

**Author's Note:**

> what should i be working on? BTHB. what am i not working on? BTHB.
> 
> oops.
> 
> enjoy!

“Did you eat the hamburger with or without the peel?”

”Hamburgers don’t have _peels_ , Hunk.”

”Of course they did! You know, that little yellow or white wax they gave you the hamburger in—“

”The _wrapper_?”

”No, the peel—“

Allura doesn’t quite understand their conversation, but she does understand that their voices are grating on her already sensitive headache, making her stomach churn, and she is far more than ready to bust their heads in if _they do not shut their quiznaking lips—_

“Sorry, Princess,” Hunk mutters, rather sheepishly, and as she turns around to look at him in confusion, she notices Keith has a grimace in his face as well, mouth shut. “No more peel talk.”

”What?” she looks at Keith for aid and he merely shrugs as best he can with one shoulder. The other is dislocated, and with how their hands are cuffed to their waist, they haven’t been able to fix it. 

“You said you would, uh,” Hunk clears his throat and bends two of his fingers as best he can. She wonders if that’s something akin to their middle finger insult. “Bust our heads in, uh, if we didn’t stop talking.”

“Oh,” she breathes, frowning. Had she said that out loud? She didn’t realize she had. Clearing her throat, she shakes her head— and, oh, quiznak, why had she done that?

She nearly topples sideways, and she most likely would have if Keith’s good side hadn’t of gotten in her way. Keith looks down at her and raises his eyebrow, but doesn’t push her away, thankfully. She’s nearly certain she won’t be sitting upright anytime soon.

”I apologize, then,” she says quietly, not wanting to aggravate her head more, “I had not meant—“

”Uh, Princess, are you okay?” Hunk asks, his worried expression burning holes into her already burning head and she frowns. 

“Of course I’m alright. Keith—“

”Yeah, yeah, I know about Keith’s shoulder, but... you, uh, there’s this little bead of... blood? I’m not really sure, ‘cause, uh, it’s pink, but... I think you’re bleeding. From your head,” Hunk gets it out in nearly one breath, and though Allura is slightly proud that he didn’t keep ranting, she’s also thoroughly confused.

Did humans not bleed the colour of their markings? Then again, they didn’t have markings, and she vaguely remembers Lance’s temple dripping red when the Castle had exploded... Perhaps it was the same for all humans.

Wait— she was bleeding?

She moved to reach up to touch her head before realizing that her hands were still glued to her side, as Hunk’s were as well. Keith, unfortunately, had a separate pair, not at all like theirs; it moved it’s posiion every once in a while— Allura estimated every half 25 dobashes— by remote control and magnets, she assumes, to put him in more pain.

”I am bleeding?” she repeats, her frown growing wider as she realizes, yes, she is, and it’s beginning to trail down her cheek, now. “Oh.”

”Yeah, uh... it doesn’t look too good. I— are you— what are you feeling?” Hunk asks, inching closer by scraping his feet against the ground. The noise of his undershot dragging across the ground makes her head ring and she winces, burrowing her head into Keith’s shoulder.

”A headache,” she admits, not quite wanting to lie and potentially make their situation worse. “My stomach is uneasy, as well.”

Hunk and Keith share a look, but Keith looks a little too dazed to properly understand the look they’re sharing.

”Okay, Allura,” Hunk starts, and Allura watches as he gnaws on his lower lip. She’s seen them all do that, Keith and Hunk more than the others, and she wonders why. Maybe she should ask. “I’m gonna take a look at your—“

Before he has the chance to continue, the door opens, revealing two of the scaly creatures they had fought earlier.

Keith jerks beneath her, and Hunk’s eyes widen before narrowing dangerously. Achingly slow, he gets to his feet, turning his back to them and nearly blocking the scaly things view of them with his body mass. She appreciates it, even though she doesn’t want him hurt.

”We want the little one,” they hiss, in sync, and she feels Keith shudder beneath her. She understands; that was not necessary, and simply enough, it was unnerving. She tries to shift upright as she hears them approach, noticing the way Hunk tenses further. “Move, and you will be spared.”

“N—“

Their tails move, and Hunk flinches. His words get cut off with a sharp scream and before she can process what’s happening, Keith is moving and her head is vaulting towards the floor, and—

Stars engulf her vision before everything goes dark.

* * *

”Think, Hunk,” he whispers to himself, not wanting to wake Allura up as he paces back and forth in the small cell. Keith had been taken what he asumes was an hour prior, and though he hasn’t heard Keith scream or seen him used as bait for answers, Yellow is furious. _Yellow_ , not Red: not Keith’s lion.

Something is most definitely wrong.

”God, think! Allura’s out cold because of a concussion, Keith’s probably being beaten or— maybe he’s already dead! Think, think, think... what do I do? How do I—“

”Hunk,” a voice croaks and he whips around, in the defense, before he realizes that it’s Allura and not some lizard gang with weird laser tasers. “I— what happened? Where... where has Keith gone?”

Hunk drops her gaze, hands fidgeting with each other as he continues to pace. He doesn’t want to tell her— _can’t_ tell her, but he knows he has to, one way or another.

“They took him,” he says, voice cracking as he slows. He faces where he assumes the cell is, placing his hand on the cold wall. The chill helps him clear his head enough to try and think. “They removed our cuffs, too, if, uh, you want to move around...”

She hums in agreement but he doesn’t hear her move.

“Allura,” he starts, softly, turning to face her. He crouched in front of her, frowning as he takes in her appearance. The blood on her face has dried, turning a crusty magenta colour, and stopped at the edge of her jawline. “Are you feeling any better?”

She makes a face but nods, slumped against the stone wall. “They made a good choice to go for my head. If not, I would have killed them mercilessly.”

Hunk couldn’t agree more.

* * *

Keith’s brought back after they’ve been given some poor excuse for soup and water. 

Hunk had left his for Keith, as they didn’t being a third bowl or glass, and after how lo he had been gone for... Keith would definitely need his strength.

They dump him by the door without so much of a second glance and Hunk has to physically hold Allura back to stop her from charging after them.

Once the door slides shut, nearly catching on Keith’s foot— which, he notes, has toes bent the wrong way— Hunk lets go of Allura, grabs the glass of water, and makes his way over to Keith’s prone form.

”Hey, buddy,” he whispers, quietly, in case they’ve hit his head. Foggy, violet irises slide over to look at him before they slide away, falling on the stone wall near Allura. “I’m gonna get you away from this door, okay? Then I’m gonna find out what—“

”No,” he mumbles, voice hoarse and raspy, like he’s been screaming. Given his bruised and battered state, it wouldn’t be surprising if he had been. “No, I— I’m fine.”

Hunk states back at shock before he feels his eyes narrow. He looks back at Keith’s toes, the misshapen fingers, the crushed palms, and the blood dripping from his nose. “Keith, you are not fine. Your hands—“

”I know,” he whispers, and to Hunk’s horror, those big foggy eyes fill with tears before he screws his eyes shut. “I _know_.”

”Keith—“

”J’st... leave it. Please.”

As much as he doesn’t want to, he leaves it. Making sure not too touch his injuries too much, he hauls him onto his lap and scoots back against the wall, away from that cursed door.

He feels Keith curl into his touch and sigh softly, face pressed against his shoulder. He rubs Keith’s back and casts Allura a look, only to find that she’s already making her way over. 

She presses against his side and Hunk wraps his arm around her shoulders, holding them both close and squeezing gently. Allura takes Keith’s shin in her hand and leaves it there, trying to offer some comfort.

After a long while of silence, after Allura has fallen asleep and Hunk had assumed Keith did, too, he speaks up.

”They didn’t wan’ me, the— the Pilot of the arm— to— to have my hands, but they didn’t want to... cut them off, because then I could get new ones. They wanted to... to make it so I— couldn’t use them anymore,” a bittersweet, pained snort escapes him and he sniffles, shifting in Hunk’s grip to get closer to the both of them. “Ironic, right?”

Hunk answers by holding him tighter and running his fingers through Keith’s hair. It’s enough for Keith, it seems, as he settles down and closes his eyes once more. It doesn’t take long for his breathing to even out, and finally, he’s asleep.

The next time those lizards come, Hunk will fight harder. He won’t let this happen to Allura, too, or to Keith again.

He _will_ protect them.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> the title makes absolutely no sense to the fic other than hunk is the literal sun and he’s protecting them. EDIT: i’m so dumb i thought. that. the sun. had the ozone layer. i.
> 
> also. i tried to find the characters that interact the least but still have keith as the whumpee in a torture situation. originally thy were going to take allura (read: the little one) but she passed out and they were forced to make due
> 
> i hope you enjoyed!  
> drop a kudos or comment if you liked it <3  
> see y’all next time


End file.
